Railroad car floor panel latch



March 12, 1963 H. M. THOMAS RAILROAD CAR FLOOR PANEL LATCH Filed April25. 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 A m mm March 12, 1963 H. M. THOMAS RAILROADCAR FLOOR PANEL LATCH s Sheets-Shet 5 Filed April 25, 1958 MENTOR.

Harry M. Thomas BY 3,080,623 RAILROAD CAR FLGGR PANEL LATCH Harry M.Thomas, 1554 Oakland Ava, Piedmont, Calif. Filed Apr. 25, 1958, aer. No.731,590 6 Claims. (Cl. 20-924) This invention relates to an improvedlatch to hold the floor panels of railroad cars and the like in an openposition adjacent the wall of the car. Reference is made to my copendingapplication Serial No. 633,225, filed January 9, 1957, now abandoned, ofwhich the present ap plication is a continuation in part.

in many railroad refrigerator cars there is provided four or more floorpanels hinged to the wall of the car and arranged to swing upwardly andinwardly against the wall of the car. conventionally such panels areupwardly of twenty feet in length and are as wide as onehalf of thewidth of the car. The floor panels, therefore, comprise considerableweight and often a faulty latch will allow the floor panel toaccidentally fall thus aifording a continuous hazard to workmen.

An object of this invention is to provide a simple latch mechanism witha pivotally mounted bolt connected to the floor board panel arranged toswing downwardly from the floor board while the panel is in the down orclosed position and further arranged to engage with a lock bolt cavityinset in the wall of the railroad car when the floor panel is in theopen position.

A further object of this invention is to provide a pivotally mountedtumbler which swings downwardly to lock the bolt in the lock bolt cavityand a keeper to hold the tumbler in bolt locking position so that it isvirtually impossible for the bolt to be accidentally disengaged from thelock bolt cavity.

Another object of the invention is to provide a modification of thelatch mechanism in which the bolt may be mounted to project laterallyfrom the edges of a shelf like object so it is restrained against upwardmovement whereby the latch can be employed to support the shelf likeobject from a wall surface with the tumbler and keeper functioning toprevent the bolt from being accidentally removed from supportingengagement with the bolt lock cavity.

A further object of this invention is to provide a latch which isfoolproof in operation and yet extremely simple both in operation and instructure.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent upon readingthe following specification and referring to the accompanying drawingsin which similar characters of reference represent corresponding partsin each of the several views.

In the drawings:

H6. 1 is a perspective view of the latch with a portion cut away to showthe interior structure thereof and shown mounted to fragmentary portionsof a railroad refrigerator car flOOi' panel and wall section;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of FIG. 1 taken at line 2-2;

FIG. 3 is a top plan schematic view of a railroad refrigerator carshowing the relative location of the floor panels;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a modification of the invention employedto support a shelf like object from wall surfaces;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another modification of the invention;and

FIG. 6 is a sectional View of the modification of FIG. 5.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is arranged for use withinrailroad cars A of the general type as viewed in FIG. 3. Such carsgenerally comprise four floor panels 15 pivotally mounted in pairsadjacent the wall '16 by ice hinges 17 so they may swing upwardlyagainst side wall 16 with the face 18 of the floor panel juxtaposed wall16. The latch of this invention has a bolt assembly B pivotal-ly mountedon the stringer member 21 of floor panel 15 which is arranged to lockwith a bolt lock cup assembly C within the Wall of side walls 16.

In greater detail cup assembly C is countersunk in wall 16 in acomplementary hole 28 and comprises a ring member 25 formed with a backplate 26. The cup assembly is secured to wall 16 by screws 29.

Bolt assembly B comprises a bolt arm 22 pivotally mounted on an axle 33journaled on a bifurcated mount 34. Mount 34 is secured to stringer 21of floor panel 15 under the top floor face 18 by mounting screws 35.Floor face 18 is notched as at 36 to allow bolt arm 22 to swing upwardlyto protrude above the floor face and engage bolt lock cup assembly C.

A latch in the form of a vertical cavity 23 is formed in back plate 26by a generally U-shaped protuberance formed by two horizontal legs 31joined by a horizontal web 32. Bolt arm 22 is made of square stockformed in an annulus 40 at one end by which bolt arm 22 may be pivotallymounted on axle 33 and a flanged tip 38 on the other end dimensioned tofit into cavity 23. When the flange 3g is in cavity 23 web 32 restrainsthe bolt arm from both relative downwardly and lateral movement.

A bolt keeper or tumbler 45 is provided to lock flange 38 in cavity 23.Tumbler 45 is pivotally mounted on a pin 46 attached to ring member 25above lock bolt cavity 23 and is gravity urged to swing laterallydownwardly from pin 46 to a position juxtaposed back plate 26 whereatthe tumbler is disposed to lock bolt arm 22 within lock bolt cavity 23.Tumbler 45 is formed with a straight length 47 with the lower end bentor flanged outwardly as at 48 and thence upwardly as at $9., Bottomflange 48 provides an enlarged bottom tumbler surface which lies abovebolt arm 22 to prevent bolt arm flange hook 38 from being lifted out ofthe lock bolt cavity 23 while the tumbler is in the bolt lockingposition.

Tumbler 45 is locked against back plate 26 in bolt arm locking positionby keeper 5!}. Keeper 50 is pivotally mounted on back plate 26 as at 51to swing transversely over the outside surface of length 47 of thetumbler with the bottom of the keeper arranged to nest in keeper receiving channel 53 formed by tumbler side 47, and flanges 48 and d9.Keeper 50, nested in channel 53, prevents outward lateral movement ofthe tumbler 45 and thus locks the tumbler in bolt locking position.Upwardly projecting flange 4? prevents relative lateral displacement ofkeeper 50 with respect to tumbler 45 and provides a handle by which thetumbler can be lifted when the keeper is displaced.

In FIG. 1 it can be seen that when keeper 50 is in locking position thebottom of the keeper rests on the top of bottom -48. The top portion ofkeeper 5% is formed with an outwardly projecting handle flange 52 toprovide aconvenient means to remove the keeper when it is desired tounlatch bolt arm 22.

In operation when floor panels 15 are in their normal horizontalposition as viewed in FIG. 3, bolt arm 22 depends downwardly below thefloor panel so that there is no portion of bolt assembly B projectingupwardly from floor panel top faces 18. When a floor panel 15 is swungupwardly with face 18 in juxtaposition with side wall 16, keeper 50 isthen swung out of locking position with tumbler 45 and the tumbler isswung upwardly so bolt arm 22 may be rotated to a position to fit flange38 into lock bolt cavity 23. Tumbler 45 is then released whence it fallslaterally downwardly to position flange 48 in position to lock bolt arm22 in cavity 23. Keeper 50 is then swung transversely over length 47 andnested in channel 53' to lock the tumbler in bolt locking position.

3 It is obvious that the reverse procedure is followed to unlock thebolt.

In the modification of FIG. 4 an identical bolt lock cup assembly C isprovided to support a shelf or shelf like object 60. In this embodimentbolt D is pivotally mounted on shelf 60 as at 61 but is restrainedagainst upward movement by the shelf under surface 62. The shelf 60 maythus be installed in a horizontal plane with the web 32 arranged toprevent downward movement thereof. The bolt D is installed as abovedescribed by displacing keeper 50, lifting tumbler 45 and inserting boltD into bolt lock cavity 23 so the shelf is supported by assembly C. Whentumbler 45 and keeper 50 are in bolt lock position shelf 60 cannot beaccidentally removed from engagement with the lock cup assembly. This isan important feature in rolling stock where there is considerablevibration tending to disengage conventional removable shelfs.

In another modification of the invention there is provided a cupassembly 70 for mounting in the wall of a flat car which carries a boltlock cavity 72 and there is provided a bolt assembly 75 pivotallymounted on the stringer in the same manner as bolt assembly B in theembodiment of FIG. 1.

The bolt assembly comprises a bifurcated hinge 78 carrying a horizontalpin 79 to pivotally mount the bolt arm 80. The bolt arm is provided witha slot indicated at 81 which runs parallel to the longitudinal axis ofthe bolt arm so that the bolt may be slid longitudinally of hinge 78 aswell as pivotally moved with respect thereto.

Bolt arm 80 is provided on its forward tip with a depending finger 82which is adapted to fit within the walls 83 forming bolt lock cavity 72.

A tumbler 88 is pivotally mounted on a pin 89 adjacent the top portionof cup assembly 70. The inner walls of cup assembly 70 are deformed toprovide two substantially parallel spaced walls 91 which form bearingsupports for pin 89. One end of tumbler 88 is formed with a bead 92which functions as a bearing for pivotal mounting of the tumbler on axle89. The body of the tumbler is thence formed so as to provide adepending leg 95 which is bent inwardly to form a foot 96 and thenceupwardly to form a flange or toe 97 which is adapted to engage rear wall98 of cup assembly 70. Toe 97 and foot 96 are arranged of suflicientlength so that leg 95 is substantially parallel to and spaced from theback surface 98 and leg 95 is of suflicient length so that the bottomface of foot 96 is only slightly above the top face of bolt arm 80 whenthe bolt arm is in locked position with the depending finger 82 engagedin the bolt lock cup.

In operation the floor of the railroad car is lifted to a positionsubstantially parallel with the side wall of the car. The tumbler 88 islifted by pivoting the tumbler upwardly about axle 89 and bolt arm 80 ispositioned so that finger 82 is engaged with the bolt lock cup 72.Thereafter tumbler 88 is released so that foot 96 of the tumbler restsabove the top face of bolt arm 80' thus preventing the arm from beingremoved from engagement with the cup until tumbler 88 is manuallyrotated upwardly.

The provision of slot 81 allows arm 80 to project outwardly beyond thefloor of the railroad car so as to be in a position to engage with thecup assembly 70. In addition when the lock latch is not in use becauseof the sliding movement provided by slot 81 the bolt arm may be sliddown to a position whereat the bolt arm is below the floor level. Thisfeature may be important where the stringers upon which the bolt armassembly is mounted are substantially smaller in width than the strokerequired for the bolt arm.

Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail byway of illustration and example for purposes of clarity ofunderstanding, it is understood that certain changes and modificationsmay be practiced within the spirit of the invention as limited only bythe scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A latching assembly comprising: a bolt; a back plate; bolt latchmeans mounted on said back plate to lock the bolt against lateral anddownward movement with respect to said plate; a bolt tumbler pivotallymounted on an axis parallel with said plate above the bolt latch meansand gravity urged to swing downwardly to lock the bolt in engagementwith the bolt latch means; and keeper means mounted pivotally adjacentsaid bolt latch means to swing parallel to said plate to a positionadjacent said tumbler to lock said tumbler in bolt latch lockingengagement.

2. A latching assembly according to claim 1 and wherein said bolt ispivotally connected to a panel and said back plate is mounted on a wallsurface adjacent the panel.

3. A latching assembly according to claim 1 and wherein said bolt ismounted to project outwardly from a panel, the panel restraining thebolt against upward movement with respect to the panel whereby said boltlatch means is enabled to support the panel.

4. A latching assembly to look a panel against a wall surfacecomprising: a bolt mounted on the panel and formed with a flanged hookon the end of the bolt; a back plate mounted on the wall surface; a boltlatch mounted on said back plate having a vertically disposed bolt lockcavity formed by a U-shaped protuberance projecting outwardly from saidplate; said protuberance arranged in relative alignment with the bolt toallow engagement of the flanged hook of the bolt with the bolt lockcavity to prevent lateral and downward movement of the bolt with respectto said plate; a bolt tumbler pivotally mounted on an axis parallel tosaid plate above the protuberance and gravity urged to swing downwardlyto lock the bolt against upward withdrawal from the bolt lock cavity;and a keeper pivotally mounted on the back plate to swing on an axisparallel to said plate to a position adjacent the tumbler to lock saidtumbler in bolt locking position.

5. The combination of claim 4 and wherein the lower edge of said bolttumbler is formed with an upwardly extending U-shaped keeper receivingchannel to receive said keeper.

6. A latching assembly to lock a panel to a wall surface comprising: abolt pivotally mounted on the panel and movable to a first positionwhereat the bolt extends downwardly from the panel and to a secondposition whereat the bolt is aligned normal to the wall surface; a backplate mounted on the wall surface; a U-shaped protuberance mounted onsaid back plate forming a vertically disposed bolt receiving cavitylimiting downward movement of said bolt; said bolt formed with a hookprojecting downwardly therefrom when said bolt is in the secondposition; said bolt and said protuberance aligned so the bolt can fitinto the bolt receiving cavity when the bolt is in the second position;a bolt tumbler pivotally mounted above the protuberance to swing awayfrom and toward said back plate and gravity urged downwardly to aposition whereat the bolt hook is locked against upward withdrawal fromthe bolt receiving cavity; and a keeper pivotally mounted on the backplate to swing on an axis parallel to said back plate to a positionoverlying said tumbler with reference to the back plate; said tumblerpreventing outward and upward movement of said tumbler whereby saidtumbler is locked in bolt locking position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS270,874 Brooks Jan. l6, 1883 (Other references on following page) UNITEDSTATES PATENTS Hien Aug. 18, 1885 Robinson June 16, 1908 Reed Sept. 3,1918 Bourgeois Dec. 16 1919 Hull June 23, 1925 Nampa Mar. 14, 1939 5Haseitins Mar. 30, 1943 Keieher Jan. 2!), 1953 Nelson Mar. 24, 1953Jones Aug. 4, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Jan. 21, 1915

1. A LATCHING ASSEMBLY COMPRISING: A BOLT; A BACK PLATE; BOLT LATCH MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID BACK PLATE TO LOCK THE BOLT AGAINST LATERAL AND DOWNWARD MOVEMENT WITH RESPECT TO SAID PLATE; A BOLT TUMBLER PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON AN AXIS PARALLEL WITH SAID PLATE ABOVE THE BOLT LATCH MEANS AND GRAVITY URGED TO SWING DOWNWARDLY TO LOCK THE BOLT IN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE BOLT LATCH MEANS; AND KEEPER MEANS MOUNTED PIVOTALLY ADJACENT SAID BOLT LATCH MEANS TO SWING PARALLEL TO SAID PLATE TO A POSITION ADJACENT SAID TUMBLER TO LOCK SAID TUMBLER IN BOLT LATCH LOCKING ENGAGEMENT. 